中国锂矿十年来勘查实践和理论研究的十个方面新进展新趋势

中国锂矿资源丰富，其中盐湖锂矿虽然储量巨大，但开发利用技术尚待发展，目前开发的主要是硬岩型锂矿。硬岩型锂矿以伟晶岩型为主，集中分布在新疆和四川等地；成矿时代以中生代最为重要；成矿背景以强烈造山运动之后相对稳定的构造环境最为有利。经过十年来的勘查实践与理论研究，中国锂矿的类型已不再单一，卤水型从地表卤水扩展到浅部卤水与深部卤水并重，硬岩型从花岗伟晶岩型一枝独秀到蚀变花岗岩型、伟晶岩型、角砾岩筒型、沉积型等多种类型并重；成矿时代从中新生代拓展到古生代等多个期次；成矿区带从12个增加到16个，并在川西的甲基卡、可尔因及新疆的大红柳滩、砂锂沟等地探获了一批新的矿产地，新的资源格局正在形成；找矿方法与勘查技术也从单一的地表踏勘填图发展到遥感定区（远景区）—地质定型（类型）—化探定性（矿种）—物探定位（孔位）—钻探定量（资源量）及生物找矿、深穿透深部探矿等新技术新方法成体系化的新时代。鉴于战略性新兴产业快速发展对于锂资源的刚性需求，建议加强对以锂云母为主要工业矿物的新类型锂资源及以含锂黏土为主的沉积型锂资源的调查研究与开发利用；除了中生代之外，加强对古生代乃至前寒武纪锂矿的研究与找矿；加强阿尔金、喜马拉雅、冈底斯、大兴安岭西坡等新的锂矿成矿区带的勘查力度；加强对市场经济条件下锂资源动态管理的新机制研究；加强对锂同位素作为可控核聚变原材料的超前研究与资源储备，为开发高端矿业作出示范和引领。 

New progress and trend in ten aspects of lithium exploration practice and theoretical research in China in the past decade

China is rich in lithium resource, among which lithium ore in the Salt Lake has huge reserves, but the development and utilization technology has yet to be developed, and the main target of development is hard-rock lithium ore at present. Hard-rock lithium ore is mainly pegmatitic and concentrated in Xinjiang and Sichuan. The Mesozoic is the most important metallogenic period for pegmatite-type lithium deposits in China. A relatively stable tectonic environment after an orogeny is favored by the formation of pegmatite-type lithium deposits. After a decade of exploration practice and theoretical research, the types of lithium resource in China have shown a great variety. The brine-type lithium resource has expanded from surface brine to both shallow brine and deep brine, and the hard-rock lithium resources from single granitic pegmatite-type to altered granite-type, cryptoexplosion breccia tube-type and sedimentary-type. The metallogenic age has extended from the Meso-Cenozoic to the Paleozoic and other epochs. The metallogenic zones has increased from 12 to 16, and a number of new mineralized areas have been discovered in the Jiajika and Ke’eryin areas in western Sichuan and the Dahongliutan and Shaligou areas in Xinjiang . A new resource pattern of lithium is being formed. Moreover, Prospecting methods and exploration techniques have also developed from single surface prospecting and mapping to an integration of new techniques and methods, e.g., remote sensing to determine the prospective area, geological surveying to determine the type, geochemical prospecting to determine the mineral, geophysical prospecting to determine the location of drilling, drilling to determine the reserves, as well as biological prospecting, deep penetration of the deep exploration. In view of the rigid demand for lithium resources due to the rapid development of strategic emerging industries, it is suggested to strengthen a) the investigation, research, development and utilization of new types of lithium resources with lepidolite as the main industrial mineral and sedimentary-type lithium resources with Li-bearing clay as the main lithium resources; b) the research and prospecting of the Paleozoic and even Precambrian lithium deposits; c) the exploration of new lithium mineralization belts such as Altyn Tagh, Himalaya, Gangdise and western slope of Great Hinggan Mountains; d) the research on new mechanisms of dynamic management of lithium resources under market economy; e) the advanced research and resource reserve on lithium isotope as the raw material of controllable nuclear fusion, for leading the development of high-end mining industry.